Cyclone Fengal : Landfall complete, Chennai airport reopens; storm remains static near Puducherry

Cyclone Fengal completed the landfall process on Sunday around 2 am as it crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, the IMD said.

After making landfall, Cyclone Fengal is forecasted to move west-southwestwards and gradually weaken into a deep depression within the next six hours.

After a brief suspension, the Chennai airport resumed flight operations on Sunday at around 4 am. However, flyers complained of delayed and cancelled flights even after the operations resumed.

On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed the preparedness as the state is likely to receive heavy rainfall for the next 48 hours given Cyclone Fengal.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also issued a red alert for several parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry. The region is predicted to experience weather changes, including high tides and heavy rainfall.

IMD head of Cyclonic division Ananda Das said a red alert has been issued in view of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in several parts of Tamil Nadu, south Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and interior Karnataka.

"Mostly coastal districts, with the crossing point between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram near Puducherry, will experience more impact. There will be wind and rainfall. Today, wind speeds reached 50-60 km/h, gusting to 70 km/h. Between 1 pm and 2 pm, there will be extremely heavy rainfall. At many places, there will be scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall," the director of the regional meteorological centre of Chennai, Dr S Balachandran said.

All schools and colleges remained closed on Saturday in Puducherry and various districts of Tamil Nadu, including Kanchipuram.

Meanwhile, the Puducherry fisheries department has issued an advisory for fishermen, urging them not to venture into the sea as Cyclone Fengal approaches. The advisory also instructed fishermen to move their boats and equipment to higher ground to prevent damage.